1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a material for and a process of extracting oxygen from fluids, e.g., gases and natural waters, such as, in which the oxygen is dissolved.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the primary problems which hinders man in his efforts to explore and develop the ocean realms is the lack of a ready supply of oxygen. In most of the world's oceans, the oxygen content of both shallow and deep waters is similar to that of surface water in equilibrium with air. Practical methods have not yet been devised for extracting and utilizing this vast amount of oxygen for the maintenance of man in an undersea environment. Fish, however, have obviously solved the problem of oxygen extraction from seawater. Fish species weighing well over a thousand pounds and burning metabolities at rates roughly comparable to that of man easily extract adequate dissolved oxygen from seawater for their varied activities. Moreover, many species of fish transfer oxygen from seawater into a gaseous state. These fish, ones that possess swim bladders, are able to pump and concentrate oxygen against enormous hydrostatic pressure gradients. In certain fish species oxygen is transported from the dissolved state in seawater, with a .sub.p O.sub.2 of 0.2 atmospheres, to a gaseous phase in the swim bladder where the .sub.p O.sub.2 may exceed 100 atmospheres. The transfer of oxygen from the seawater to the swim bladder is made possible by the presence of specialized hemoglobin molecules in fish erythrocytes. These specialized hemoglobin molecules-called Root effect hemoglobins- act as miniature molecular pumps. The driving force for such a pump is metabolically produced lactic acid and various organic phosphate cofactors. However, we cannot directly mimic these biological systems, since the hemoglobin is circulated in the blood and is consequently not in a form which can be easily manipulated in large scale flow systems. Many attempts to develop methodologies of extracting oxygen from gaseous mixtures or water are known. Warne et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,217,850, and Fogler et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,450,276, disclose processes of separating oxygen from other gases using solutions of cobalt compounds. However, these techniques would be ineffective in a liquid system, e.g., seawater, since the compounds are in solution and would be washed away. Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,230,045, discloses using oxygen-binding chromoproteins such as hemoglobin and hemocyanin to separate oxygen from other gases. The chromoproteins are kept moist or in solution and are immobilized on filter paper where they may be bound by a binder such as fibrin, and an electrolyte such as sodium chloride may be present. However, this technique would also be ineffective in a liquid system since the protein is not insoluble and thus would be washed away if water was allowed to flow through the system. Moreover, there is no provision for regeneration of oxidized (inactive) oxygen carriers. Bodell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,583, and Robb, U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,343, disclose apparatus for extracting oxygen from seawater using thin tubes of silicone rubber or membrane of silicone rubber, respectively. However, neither the capillary networks nor the permeable membranes have been found to be practicable in real-life situations. Isomura, U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,777, discloses concentrating oxygen from natural waters by equilibration with exhaled gases, i.e. by utilizing large areas of gas-water interface and simple diffusional considerations such that the partial pressure of the gas phase and the partial pressure of the liquid phase in the extraction zone provide for release of oxygen from the liquid phase into the gas phase and absorption of CO.sub.2 by the water phase. Additionally, the solubility of oxygen in seawater is decreased by heating the seawater and this heating also increases the solubility of CO.sub.2. However, the heating of the seawater produces an energetically undesirable process. Rind, U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,833, discloses an oxygen source for closed environments comprising a mixture of a metallic superoxide, which releases oxygen upon contact with CO.sub.2 and water vapor, and a material which absorbs CO.sub.2. However, this system suffers from the defect of the capacity being limited by the bulk amount of mixture which can be carried. Iles et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,972, discloses separating oxygen from gas mixtures using metal chelates as sorbents. However, the technique is not extendable to the extraction of oxygen from water.
Many compounds in solution have been examined with respect to their oxygen absorption properties and the mechanistics thereof. The properties of hemoglobins, hemerythrins and hemocyanins, the naturally occurring oxygen carriers, have been the subject of numerous studies, as documented in Bonaventura et al, J. Am. Zool., 20, 7 [1980] and 20, 131 (1980). Artificial oxygen carriers and their properties in solution are described by a number of researchers. Traylor et al, "Solvent Effects on Reversible Formation and Oxidative Stability of Heme-Oxygen Complexes", J.A.C.S., 96, 5597 (1974) discloses the effect of solvent polarity on oxygenation of several heme-base complexes prepared by reduction with sodium dithionite or a mixture of Pd black and calcium hydride. Crumbliss et al, "Monomeric Cobalt-Oxygen Complexes", Science, 6, June 1969, Volume 164, pp. 1168-1170, discloses Schiff base complexes of Co(II) which form stable cobalt-oxygen species in solution instead of cobalt-oxygen-cobalt bridged complexes. Crumbliss et al, "Monomeric Oxygen Adducts of N,N'-Ethylenebis (acetylacetoniminato) ligand-cobalt(II). Preparation and Properties " J.A.C.S. 92, 55 (1970), discloses a series of monomeric molecular oxygen carriers based on cobalt ligand complexes. Dufour et al, "Reaction of Indoles with Molecular Oxygen Catalyzed by Metalloporphyrins", Journal of Molecular Catalysis (In Press), discloses the catalysis of the oxygenation of simple, alkyl-substituted indoles by Co(II), Co(III), and Mn(III) meso-tetraphenyl-porphins wherein a ternary complex O.sub.2 -CoTPP-indole is formed initially. Brault et al, "Ferrous Porphyrins in Organic Solvents. I. Preparation and Coordinating Properties", Biochemistry, 13, 4591 (1974), discloses the preparation and properties of ferrous deutereporphyrin dimethyl ester and ferrous meso-tetraphenylporphin in various organic solvents. Chang et al, "Kinetics of Reversible Oxygenation of Pyrroheme-N-[3-(1-imidazolyl)propyl] amide", discloses studies on the oxygenation of pyrroheme-N-[3-(1-imidazolyl)propyl] amide, i.e. a synthesized section of the myoglobin active site. Castro, "Hexa and Pentacoordinate Iron Poryhyrins", Bioinorganic Chemistry, 4, 45-65 (1974), discloses the direct synthesis of hexa and pentacoordinate iron porphyrins, i.e. the prosthetic groups for the active sites of certain cytochrome and globin heme proteins. Chang et al, "Solution Behavior of a Synthetic Myoglobin Active Site", J.A.C.S., 95, 5810 (1973), discloses studies on a synthesized section of the myoglobin active site and indicates that the oxygen binding reaction does not require the protein. Naturally occurring oxygen carriers have been chemically cross-linked and their properties described. Bonsen et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,590, discloses a polymerized, cross-linked, stromal-free, hemoglobin proposed to be useful as a blood substitute. Morris et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,736, discloses intramolecularly cross-linked, stromal-free hemoglobin. Wong, U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,118, discloses a blood substitute or extender prepared by coupling hemoglobin with a polysaccharide material. Mazur, U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,344, discloses a plasma protein substitute, i.e. an intramolecular, cross-linked hemoglobin composition. However cross-linked hemoglobin produces macromolecular complexes that retain many of hemoglobin's native properties. The cross-linking of hemoglobin results in a product that is a solution or a dispersion, is not manipulable or, in fact, insolubilized. Large scale flow-thru systems where volumes of water must flow by or through an oxygen extracting medium cannot use hemoglobin which has been crosslinked because the hemoglobin is not truly insoluble. In other words, crosslinking does not accomplish a useful insolubilization, in that, even after crosslinking, the protein in its final form has the characteristics of a fluid.
Numerous papers have been published on immobilization of hemoglobin and its functional consequences, but not in connection with processes for efficient oxygen extraction from fluids. Vejux et al, "Photoacoustic Spectrometry of Macroporous Hemoglobin Particles", J. Opt. Goc. Am., 70, 560-562 (1980), discloses glutaraldehyde cross-linked hemoglobin and its functional properties. The preparation is described as being made up of macroporous particles. Hallaway et al, "Changes in Conformation and Function of Hemoglobin and Myoglobin Induced by Adsorption to Silica", BBRC, 86, 689-696 (1979), discloses that hemoglobin adsorbed on silica is somewhat different from hemoglobin in solution. The adsorbed form is not suitable for O.sub.2 extraction from liquids. Antonini et al, "Immobilized Hemoproteins", Methods of Enzymology, 44, 538-546 (1976), discloses standard immobilization techniques as applied to hemoglobin and their functional consequences. Mention is made of hemoproteins bound to cross-linked insoluble polysaccharides such as Sephadex or Sepharose, using a pre-activation of the resin with CNBr. Rossi-Fanelli et al, "Properties of Human Hemoglobin Immobilized on Sepharose 4B", Eur. J. Biochemistry, 92, 253-259 (1978), discloses that the ability of the hemoglobin to be bound to Sepharose 4B is dependent upon the conformational state of the protein. Colosimo et al, "The Ethylisocyanate (EIC) Equilibrium of Matrix-Bound Hemoglobin", BBA, 328, 74-80 (1973), discloses Sephadex G-100, Sephadex DEAE-A50 and Sephadex CM-C50 as supports for human hemoglobin insolubilization. The paper shows that the affinity of the insolubilized protein for EIC is increased relative to that in solution. Lampe et al, "Die Bindung von Sauerstoff an tragerfixiertes Hamoglobin", Acta Biol. Med. Germ., 33, K49-K54 (1974), discloses studies on CM-Sephadex insolubilized hemoglobins. Lampe et al, "Der EinfluB der Immobilisierung von Hamoglobin auf dessen Sauerstoffindung", Acta Biol. Med. Germ., 34, 359-363 (1975), discloses studies on CM-Sephadex insolubilized hemoglobins. Pommerening et al, "Studies on the Characterization of Matrix-Bound Solubilized Human Hemoglobin", Internationales Symposium uber Struktur und Funktion der Erythrozyten (Rapoport and Jung, ed.), Berlin Akademie-Verlag Press, 179-186 (1975), discloses Sepharose-Sephadex types of insolubilization. Brunori et al, "Properties of Trout Hemoglobin Covalently Bound to a Solid Matrix", BBA, 494(2), 426-432, discloses Sepharose 4B or Sephadex G-200, activated by CNBr, to immobilize the hemoglobin. Some changes in the functional properties of the hemoglobin were found.
As may be discerned, there are generally two classes of "insolubilized" hemoglobins described in patents or in open literature. First, cross-linked hemoglobin, e.g., as by glutaraldehyde. Biodegradation of such forms of insolubilized hemoglobin would be rapidly accomplished by the microorganisms in seawater. Nor has full functionality been demonstrated in published accounts. This does not mean that functional properties are necessarily eliminated, but, that methods as described are not suitable for achieving an immobilized form with unimpaired function. Second, Sephadex or Sepharose bound hemoglobins. Low hemoglobin content per volume (specific capacity) makes these methods of insolubilization untenable for large scale use. Biodegradation problems are also present. Additionally, it is not generally possible to achieve high flow rates through such materials.
Various techniques for the insolubilization (or immobilization) of biological materials have been developed, though not described in conjunction with insolubilization and utilization of oxygen carriers. Stanley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,955, discloses a technique for the preparation of an insoluble, active enzyme, a biological catalyst, wherein an aqueous dispersion of the enzyme is emulsified with an organic polyisocyanate, mixed with a solid carrier and the volatile components are then evaporated from the mixture. Wood et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,138, discloses a method of preparing a bound enzyme wherein, prior to foaming, an isocyanate-capped polyurethane is contacted with an aqueous dispersion of enzyme under foam-forming conditions, whereby polyurethane foams containing integrally bound enzyme are obtained. Unsworth et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,230, discloses the encapsulation of fluids and solids by dissolving a water-insoluble polymerizable epoxy monomer in a solvent having high affinity for water; dispersing the monomer solution in water; dispersing in the so-formed aqueous dispersion the substance to be encapsulated; adding a polymerizing agent in a solvent having a higher affinity for water than for the polymerizing agent; and polymerizing until polymerization of the monomer is complete. Wood et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,574, discloses an enzyme integrally bound to a foamed polyurethane parepared by, prior to foaming, contacting an isocyanate-capped polyurethane with an aqueous dispersion of enzyme under foam-forming conditions, whereby polyurethane foams containing integrally bound enzyme are obtained. Hartdegen et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,744, discloses water-dispersible protein/polyurethane reaction products formed by admixing a water-dispersible, biologically-active protein and an isocyanate-capped liquid polyurethane prepolymer having a linear polyester backbone under essentially anhydrous conditions to form a solution, said protein and prepolymer reacting to form a water-soluble reaction product wherein the protein and prepolymer are bound together. Hartdegen et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,645, discloses enzymes immobilized by the process of mixing the protein and an isocyanate-capped liquid polyurethane prepolymer in the absence of water; foaming the mixture by reacting it with water to form a polyurethane foam. Huper et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,196, discloses proteins insolubilized using polymers containing maleic anhydride or di- and poly-methacrylates. Huper et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,964, discloses proteins insolubilized using polymers containing anhydride, di-methacrylate and a hydrophilic monomer. However, there is no disclosure in the art of an effective way to insolubilize hemoglobin or other oxygen carriers at high concentrations so as to render them active, insoluble and manipulable.
A need therefor continues to exist for not only improved methods for insolubilizing hemoglobin or other oxygen carrying compounds but also for a method of extracting the available dissolved oxygen from natural waters and other fluids. Such methods as will be described will also be useful for preparing blood substitutes which are capable of reversible oxygen binding under physiological conditions.